A small, unremarkable closet in the student activities lounge holds a wealth of goods for many students at Southwest Texas Junior College. Inside, shelves are stocked with items such as pasta, canned goods, soups, water, peanut butter, chips, oatmeal and other similar items. It is a food pantry for hungry students.

As Uvalde County Appraisal District is set to consider a second proposed budget for 2017, several new costs are at the heart of a $262,457 increase over last year’s total expenses of $806,815, leaving the district with a total budget of $1,069,272 if adopted during Tuesday’s meeting of the UCAD board of directors. The single largest hike in expenses comes in the form of salaries, which have gone from $375,662 in 2016 to $554,074 for the upcoming year – an increase of $178,412.

Four area churches have banded together to form the Uvalde branch of Open Table. Open Table is a national faith-based initiative that veers off from “transactional approach” assistance. Table members bring different elements of expertise to help an individual in the community achieve personal goals to help improve their quality of life. Open Table began nine years ago through a chance encounter when Jon Katov from Phoenix, Arizona, saw a homeless man on the street.

Thirty-five Uvalde Police Department employees, including officers, dispatchers and administrative staff, have undergone training to use three recently-purchased automated external defibrillators. As they are often the first to respond to incidents, including cardiac emergencies, UPD Lt. Daniel Rodriguez said whether the responding officer has the equipment

Dozens of volunteers gathered at the Willie De Leon Civic Center on Tuesday night to prepare for the 33rd-annual Luv Ya Uvalde Thanksgiving luncheon, and the following day hundreds people enjoyed the fruits of that labor. The holiday meal consisted of turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, a beverage, and pumpkin pie.

At the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District board meeting held Nov. 14, Medina Electric Cooperative donated $1,000 to the school district. Katie Haby, communications specialist at Medina Electric, presented the check. The cooperative serves 17 counties in Texas. Making the decision to donate to UCISD was an easy choice to make, said Haby, as the monetary donation fit within two of their principles: concern for community and education, training and information.

Volunteers with Luv Ya Uvalde, including members of the Uvalde High School Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, debone turkey in preparation for the 33rd-annual Thanksgiving luncheon. Preparations took place Tuesday and the luncheon was held Wednesday at the Willie De Leon Civic Center.

From pets to the opportunity for an education, Uvalde residents say they have plenty to be thankful for this Thanksgiving holiday. Susan Rios, manger of the Willie De Leon Civic Center and Main Street Uvalde program, said she is thankful for God, her husband, family, health and cats.